How I Do

I recently read a great blogpost by Austin Kleon called "How to Steal like an Artist (And 9 Other Things Nobody Told Me)" that really inspired me while working my latest painting

(read it here: http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/how-to-steal-like-an-artist-and-9-other-things-nobody-told-me/).

One of Kleon's points is that artists should share their processes. He says, "Artists aren’t magicians. There’s no penalty for revealing your secrets... I get a lot of inspiration from people like Bob Ross and Martha Stewart. Bob Ross taught people how to paint. He gave his secrets away. Martha Stewart teaches you how to make your house and your life awesome. She gives her secrets away."

I agreed with this, and for a while had been thinking about putting together some posts not just documenting my work, but detailing a little about how I make the work.

Which leads me to masking tape.

Masking tape is my secret weapon while painting. Every time I need a clean edge I use masking tape. I didn't learn this in art school, I learned this in preparation for a floor hockey tournament at summer camp. This tournament was a big deal at my camp, and a big part of it involved the painting of the boards that surrounded the rink. I was painting lettering and wanted to have a colorful background behind it that I spray-painting. Instead of painting around the letters first (this I learned in art class: ALWAYS paint the background FIRST), I simply covered the letters in masking tape and went to town with the spray paint.

While painting Biggie I used masking tape to achieve straight lines in the background for the "red and black lumberjack" pattern. I didn't want the edges to be too clean for, I wanted to emulate the texture of fabric so I didn't put the tape down completely flush to the canvas.

It's a simple little thing, but boy it helps.

Another important piece of advice I'd like to give to artists is: Listen to other artists. Not because you'll necessarily learn something new, but because you'll come across something you knew but forgot.

I was reading an interview with comics legend Jim Lee, the definitive X-Men artist for my generation and current Co-Publisher of DC Comics, and in it he mentioned turning his pieces upside down to make sure the composition works. I learned this in 9th grade and probably forgot it sometime around 12th grade. It works.